“I Will Bless Those Who Bless You”

Now more than ever, Christians need to know just how important it is to bless the nation of Israel. Let’s dive into the word of God to discover more of God’s heart about blessing Israel.

Our Covenant Keeping God

Did you know that our God is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God? God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After God flooded the earth, He made a covenant with Noah saying:

“I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:15-16)

Several hundred years passed and God was faithful to keep His covenant with Noah by multiplying and increasing families on the earth. The next covenant God made was with Abram:

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” (Genesis 12:1-3)

God was telling Abram and his wife Sarai, who were unable to conceive that they would bear children and their descendants would become a great nation. Can you imagine the unbelief that Abram and Sarai battled? God spoke again to Abram and told him that he would make his offspring as many as the stars in the sky. And what was Abram’s response?... “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

We can learn from Abram to believe what the Lord tells us because God will credit it to us as righteousness. So, if God says that He will bless those who bless Israel, then we need to believe the Lord in this matter as well. Let us choose to believe that when we bless Israel, God will bless us, too!

However, we know how this story goes. Many years went by and Abram and Sarai became weary in the waiting. They ended up taking matters into their own hands and disobeying God. When Abram was 86 years old, Sarai’s maidservant, Hagar, gave birth to Ishmael. However, our covenant-keeping God was gracious and faithful to fulfill his covenant. 14 years later, God reminded Abram of the covenant He made with him:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (Genesis 17:1-2)

When God made the covenant with Abram, He also made the covenant with Sarai. Therefore, the promise from God could only be fulfilled through Abram and Sarai, and no one else. Despite their disobedience, God declared His covenant would still come to be through Abram and Sarai. God changed their names, declared that Abraham would be the father of many nations, declared that Sarah would be the mother of many nations, and promised them that the covenant would be made through their son Isaac.

“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:5-8)

God was making an everlasting covenant with Abraham and Sarah saying that He would not only make their descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky but also that He would be their God and give them possession of the land of Canaan.

Blessing the Covenant Between God and Jacob

God was faithful to keep his covenant through Abraham, his son Isaac, and then through Isaac’s son, Jacob. At the end of his life, Isaac blessed Jacob, saying: “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” (Genesis 27:29) Isaac blessed Jacob with the covenant that God made with Abraham and said:

“May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.” (Genesis 28:4)

It is fascinating to see this covenant from the Lord being preserved from father to son over and over throughout many generations of the Jewish people. It is important to take time to understand this everlasting covenant that God made with the Jewish people and how it affects each one of us today.

Blessing Israel Pleases the Lord

Now that we know what we need to do, it's time to discover why we should bless Israel. Let’s take a look at the interactions between Balak and Balaam in the book of Numbers chapters 23 and 24.

Balak was trying to get Balaam to curse Israel, but each time Balaam prayed, he blessed Israel. Balaam delivered a word of the Lord to Balak in Numbers 23:7-8 saying, “Then Balaam spoke his message: ‘Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.’ How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom God has not denounced?”

Several times Balak tried to get Balaam to curse the Israelites, but Balaam was only able to say what God wanted him to say, which was to bless Israel. After several times of praying and blessing Israel, Balaam realized that it pleased the Lord to bless the People of Israel!

“Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.” - Numbers 24:1

So, why should we bless Israel? One answer is that it pleases the Lord. God chose to make a covenant with the Jewish people and he wants to bless them. Therefore, if we bless Israel, then God will bless us. However, if we curse Israel, then we will receive a curse in return.

Consequences of Cursing or Blessing Israel

Another important reason to bless Israel is because there are consequences if we choose not to bless Israel. When someone curses Israel, they will be cursed in return. From the example of Balak and Balaam’s interactions, we can also see this truth. Balak tried to get Balaam to curse Israel 3 different times, and because of this God cursed Balak and his people.

We have also seen a very clear picture of this during the Iron Swords War. We can see God’s hand coming against the nations and people who curse Israel. On 14 December 2023, a Turkish lawmaker was speaking in parliament and criticizing Israel. As soon as he finished his speech about Israel, he instantly had a heart attack and collapsed on stage. Two days later, he died.

There are great blessings that come if we choose to bless Israel, and there are terrible consequences that come if we choose to curse Israel. And now that we have looked at several scriptures in the Bible explaining this truth, we hope you all are encouraged to not only bless Israel but also to encourage others to do the same!

“Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.” -Deuteronomy 33:29

How Can You Bless Israel?

Now the question is: ‘How do we bless Israel’? We believe that blessing Israel means understanding God’s heart for this nation and people, and obeying what God puts on your heart. Blessing Israel looks like getting on our knees and praying for this nation, especially now, during the war. Blessing Israel looks like speaking truth and life over this nation and people, especially when others curse and express hatred towards Israel. Blessing Israel looks like giving your time, finances, energy, and support to show love to these people that God has made an everlasting covenant with.

With all of this talk about ‘blessing Israel’, let’s get practical and put this truth into action.

Here are some practical ways that you can bless Israel through VFI today:
1. Volunteering — If you would like to come and serve this nation and its people, contact our Israel office to get more information about volunteering with VFI. Email us at: info@visionforisrael.co.il.

2. Donations for Specific Projects — VFI has many projects you can donate to, from ‘aid to the poor in Israel’ to ‘medical and disaster relief’, and much more. Take a look at our website to choose which project you would like to help support today! And you can click HERE to donate.

3. Support for the Iron Swords War — Israel is still in the midst of war, families are still displaced from their homes, soldiers are still fighting, families are still separated, and there are many more needs as the war continues to rage on. Read about VFI’s war efforts HERE.


May each of you be greatly blessed by the Lord as you choose to bless Israel!